UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has proven his star power in Russia with huge numbers of fans tuning in to watch his third round submission victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi this past weekend.
The event was broadcast on Russia’s biggest TV station, Channel One and that led to a whopping 26 million viewers switching on to watch their national hero rack up the 28th win of his professional career.
That means that roughly 28% of the adult Russian population saw Nurmagomedov’s fight, giving some sense of just how big of a draw he is there if the UFC should ever get around to having him compete there.
One person who is eager to do just that is Conor McGregor, who called for a rematch with his rival in Moscow after watching his latest victory, but Nurmagomedov has already indicated that he wants to fight Tony Ferguson next.
however, ‘The Eagle’ also has another superstar that he would be willing to go up against if the man in question was willing to come out of retirement for it.
“Georges St-Pierre is a great guy, a great champion, a great athlete,” Nurmagomedov said at the UFC 242 post fight press conference. “He’s a very good example for young kids. I know he retired, if he wants to come back, if he feels hungry, if he feels he can improve his legacy with a fight with me and he can make 155, I’m waiting for him.
“Maybe he likes the new belt. If he likes, I can give him just only for one photo. If he wants to fight, [he’s] welcome.”
